DH8 CREW RETURNED TO THE GATE AFTER COMPANY ACFT RPTED SOMETHING ON #2 ENG NACELLE.

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TAXIED OFF GATE AT XC30. COMPANY ACFT NOTICED SOMETHING ON R NACELLE AS WE TAXIED ONTO RWY FOR TKOF. WE RETURNED TO GATE AND FOUND NOTHING. DURING INITIAL TAXI BACK TO GATE THOUGHT I COULD SEE SOMETHING DANGLING DOWN; BUT NOTHING WAS THERE ONCE WE PARKED AT GATE. FURTHER INSPECTION REVEALED A MISSING PROP TIE. I ARRIVED AT THE GATE TO MEET CREW AND ACFT APPROX XA45. AS I BOARDED; CAPT TOLD ME HE HAD PREFLTED ACFT ALREADY. AFTER SOME DELAYS; WE WERE FINALLY BOARDED; DEICED WITH TYPE I AND TYPE IV FLUID; THEN PUSHED BACK FOR START. THE PUSHBACK CREW CLRED US FOR STARTS OF BOTH ENGS. NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY WAS NOTED; AND WE TAXIED OUT FOR TKOF. ONCE PROB WAS NOTED; WE RETURNED TO GATE AND REBOARDED PAX. MAINT WAS CALLED AS A PRECAUTION AND NO DAMAGE WAS NOTICED. WE INSPECTED THE PROP TIE STORAGE BAG AND FOUND ONE MISSING. AT THAT POINT ACFT WAS WRITTEN UP FOR MISSING PROP TIE. IT WAS NIGHTTIME WITH LIGHT SNOW. ACFT WAS COVERED IN DEICE FLUID AND VISION OUT MY SIDE WAS SEVERELY RESTR. IF PROP TIES WERE IN PLACE; IT WAS MISSED BY NOT ONLY THE CREW; BUT BY PUSHBACK CREW; WHO CLRED #2 ENG START; AND THE DEICE CREW. ALSO PROP TIES ARE ALL BLACK SO THEY BLEND IN WITH THE PROPS.